An earthquake strikes Japan, triggering a tsunami warning.
Nearly 90,000 people have been called to evacuate
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan. Authorities issued evacuation orders affecting approximately 90,000 residents, and the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwateha issued a tsunami warning, which was downgraded a few hours later. The country's Meteorological Agency initially warned that waves could reach three meters in height, but those observed so far ranged between 20 and 70 centimeters. The quake struck at 11:15 p.m. local time on Monday, off the coast of Aomori Prefecture in the northeast of the archipelago. The epicenter of the earthquake, which left at least seven people injured, was located at a depth of 50 kilometers. The intensity, registered as 6 out of 7 on the Japanese seismic scale, was such that it made it impossible to stand or move without crawling.
So far, the earthquake has caused some disruption. East Japan Railway Line 9020.T has suspended some services in the area, the same area that was affected by another earthquake of magnitude 9.0 in March 2011. In addition, the Aomori government reported that some 2,700 homes lost power and two electrical outages were declared.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government established a special team to coordinate with local authorities to assess the extent of the injuries and damage, a complicated task in the middle of the night. However, the Japan Meteorological Agency is urging people not to lower their guard and to take extra precautions in case another earthquake of similar magnitude occurs in the same area in the coming days.
In fact, hours after the first warning, Japanese authorities issued an alert for the possibility of another earthquake in the area in the coming days in the north of the country. The alert will remain in effect for a week in the Hokkaido and Sanriku regions.
Episodes like this are relatively common in Japan, one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor every five minutes. This is because the country is located in the "Ring of Fire," an area of high seismic and volcanic activity, which contains 75% of the world's active volcanoes and where nearly 90% of the planet's earthquakes occur.
